The Pittsburgh Steelers have now filled most of their biggest coaching vacancies in the post-Mike Tomlin era. Since hiring Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, the Steelers have found a defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham, a special teams coordinator in Danny Grossman, an offensive line coach in James Campen, and a handful of assistant coach hirings.
But one decision they haven't yet made is hiring an offensive coordinator. That could soon change.
On Monday, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Steelers are meeting with Scott Tolzien about their vacant OC role. Tolzien, 38, played quarterback for the Packers while McCarthy was the head coach in Green Bay. He later coached alongside McCarthy in Dallas as a Cowboys coaching assistant and quarterback coach.
Most recently, Tolzien operated as the offensive coordinator for the American Team at the Panini Senior Bowl—furthering his resume. And with the Senior Bowl going on last week, that might explain why Tolzien hasn't signed with the Steelers yet.
Scott Tolzien feels like the obvious choice at offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers
While Mike McCarthy expressed interest in Lunda Wells (another former coaching partner in Dallas), Tolzien appears to be the OC candidate the Steelers will go with. McCarthy has a long history with Tolzien, as the former back-up QB and coaching understudy has been with McCarthy for eight years.
Now he could move up the ranks and get his shot to shine as an offensive coordinator.
Though McCarthy made it crystal clear that he will be the one calling the offensive plays for the Steelers in 2026 and beyond, the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh will still have an important job. They will be responsible for aiding in quarterback development, installing the offensive game plan, game planning, and adapting to personnel.
Thankfully, Tolzien comes with experience in these areas. As the former quarterbacks coach of the New Orleans Saints, Tolzien aided in the development of rookie QB Tyler Shough. Before that, Tolzien was in Dallas, where Dak Prescott had the best seasons of his NFL career.
If he gets the job, Tolzien would replace Arthur Smith. Smith was the OC in Pittsburgh for two seasons, before the team permitted him to seek work eslewhere following Tomlin's decision to step down. Smith is now the offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Scott Tolzien feels like the offensive coordinator the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted all along, and perhaps the only reason he hasn't signed yet is because he spent the last week at the Senior Bowl. If the interview goes well, a decision from Mike McCarthy could come soon to fill out the most important remaining job opening on the team.